Wangsness, Ervin Tilman 1918 - 2013
WANGSNESS, JORGENSON, BERGLAND, ANDERSON, BILLEN, DUWE, DEHNING, DOHNER, ENGHOLM, RONEY, INGEBRITSON, BLEGEN, ESTREM, NELSON
Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 7/26/2013 at 08:51:21
Ervin Wangsness, age 94, of Calmar, IA, died on Sunday, June 16, 2013, at the Ossian Senior Hospice in Ossian, Iowa.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, June 20, 2013, at the Calmar Lutheran Church, 200 North East Street, Calmar, IA, with Rev. Phillip Olson presiding. Burial will be in the Calmar Lutheran Cemetery, Calmar, Iowa.
Friends may call from 4:00-8:00 p.m., on Wednesday, at the Schluter – Balik Funeral Home, French Chapel in Calmar, Iowa, and also after 10:00 a.m., at the church on Thursday morning.
Ervin Tilman Wangsness was born on June 27, 1918, the son of Herman (Hank) and Hannah (Jorgenson) Wangsness on the family farm in Springfield Township. As a lifelong member, Ervin was baptized, attended Sunday School and was confirmed at Calmar Lutheran Church. He attended Springfield Township School No. 4 thru the eighth grade. Ervin’s father died when Ervin was 23 years old. He stayed at home and continued to manage the farm with his mother. Ervin enjoyed life on the farm, draft horses, and his team of mules, Jack and Jenny. He even spent some time as a young man using his mules to haul material and pull a scraper when the railroad was working on the line through the Nordness area. His mother later became bedridden due to a stroke. Ervin cared for her with other family help and continued to do the farming. On June 12, 1965, Ervin became a family man when he married Lorraine (Bergland) Anderson, the widow of Rev. Lloyd Anderson and the mother of five children. In 1967, this union gave birth to a daughter, LuAnn. She joined the step-children; Luther, LeRoy, LaVerne, Lisa and Lowell, making for a very busy household at their home in Calmar. Ervin, a strong and healthy man, continued farming until his retirement in 1980. During retirement, he drove school bus for South Winneshiek Schools. He and Lorraine cared for housing properties they owned in Calmar. They were also custodians at Calmar Lutheran Church and did a stint maintaining the church’s lawn and cemetery. In 1985, Erv attended classes at NITI in Calmar and received his GED. From 1999-2008, Erv and Lorraine spent winters as “Winter Texans” at their place in Mission, TX. Ervin and Lorraine loved dancing, especially to the “Big Band” sounds, and visiting with friends and family. Erv also enjoyed his coffee time with the guys uptown, holding the grandkids, and in more recent years, his recliner.
Ervin’s survivors include his wife: Lorraine Wangsness, Calmar, IA. Six children: LuAnn Wangsness (Don Billen) Seattle, WA; Luther (Karen) Anderson, Calmar, IA; LeRoy (Susan) Anderson, Corning, CA; LaVerne (Julie) Anderson, Ossian, IA; Lisa Anderson, Dubuque, IA; and Lowell (Laurel) Anderson, Escondido, CA. Twelve grandchildren: Michele (Shannon) Duwe, Lucas Dehning, Kevin Anderson, Alyssa Anderson, Erin Anderson, Allen Anderson, Lara Dohner, Johnny Dohner, Isaac (Christina) Engholm, Hannah Engholm, Hannah Billen and Adam Billen. Three great grandchildren: Marlee, Briggs and Bryar Duwe. One sister: Elva Roney, Rochester, MN. Two sisters-in-law: Olga Wangsness, Decorah, IA and Elaine Ingebritson, Lake Mills, IA. One brother-in-law: Gary Bergland, McHenry, IL, along with many nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews.
Ervin was preceded in death by his parents: Herman “Hank” and Hannah (Jorgenson) Wangsness. Two brothers: Clifford (Mabel) Wangsness and Theodore Wangsness. Two sisters: Viola (Arthur) Blegen and Beatrice (Joseph) Estrem. Ervin’s father and mother-in-law: Elmer and Ada Bergland. Three brothers-in-law: Wallace Roney, Marion Ingebritson and Robert Nelson. Two sisters-in-law: Mary Jo Bergland and JoAnn Nelson.
Source: Schluter - Balik Funeral Home database
Calmar Lutheran Cemetery gravestone
Winneshiek Obituaries maintained by Bruce Kuennen.
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